The weather is cooling down, and the autumn spirit has finally arrived. Do you feel like partaking in the season but don’t have time to visit your local cafe or grocery store for your favorite fall dishes? You can recreate many fall recipes without leaving campus. Just make sure you stock up on canned pumpkin and cinnamon, and see the suggestions below so you’ll be prepared when that craving for fall flavors hits next.
Pumpkin Parfait
This dish is exactly what it sounds like: a parfait with layers of pumpkin. It only requires a few simple steps, and the most labor-intensive part is assembling the parfait. To make the pumpkin layer, mix pumpkin puree with pumpkin spice mix and maple syrup, or another sweetener, to taste. Make sure to check what pumpkin you buy because it is easy to accidentally purchase pumpkin pie mix, which will already have sugar, spices, and a thickener (necessary for pies) added. Next, start with either the pumpkin or yogurt and cover the bottom of your serving dish (I like using mason jars or mugs). Cover the bottom layer with a sprinkling of granola and continue the pattern, alternating between yogurt and pumpkin as the filling layers and spreading granola between each to add some crunch. Using pumpkin spice granola instead of regular granola will make this recipe extra special. If you are feeling more like dessert, you can elevate this meal to sweet treat status by replacing the yogurt with whipped cream to create a dish more akin to pumpkin pie.
Fall Smoothie
There are numerous unique combinations available in this category. One option builds on many other suggestions listed here by incorporating pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice into your classic banana smoothie. However, another option is to find other fruits in season and add them to the mix. This is probably the recipe that allows for the most creativity, because it is hard to go wrong with a smoothie. You can think of adding ingredients like cranberries, oranges, pomegranate, pumpkin, chai, maple, and even sweet potatoes. The only limit is your imagination. Just avoid adding all these ingredients to one smoothie at once, because not everything complements each other well, and finding your preferred combination may require some trial and error. If you are feeling less adventurous, there are plenty of detailed fall smoothie recipes online. You can see some examples and .
Pumpkin Mug Cake
Mug cakes are one of the most convenient sweet treats for dorm room-level kitchen equipment. Combine a few ingredients in a mug, pop it in the microwave, and a few minutes later, you have a delicious, moist single-serving cake. Additionally, they are easily adaptable to meet any dietary requirements, such as , , or . Pumpkin puree yields a moist texture to cakes, but it can also contain a lot of water, so you may have to decrease the liquid content if adapting a mug cake recipe that does not originally contain pumpkin (you can also decrease the liquid and increase the flavor by pre-cooking the pumpkin with ). I make my mug cakes differently every time, so I have no personal recipe to share, but here is
Spiced Apples
Did you know that you can make cooked spiced apples in the microwave? No oven or stove required. Add sliced apples to a microwave-safe bowl and add sweetener, cinnamon, and other optional fall spices. Ensure the apples are covered with the mix and microwave them until soft. Smaller apple slices will cook faster than large, chunky pieces.
Although dorm living may make many recipes inconvenient to prepare, there is a surprising amount of food you can make with only a microwave or refrigerator available. Hopefully, the next time your autumn cravings appear, this article will inspire you with ideas to satisfy them.
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